What this Draft Means to Portland
Jeff Alworth
[Update (4:36 pm): The Portland Trail Blazers just selected Greg Oden as the first pick in the 2007 NBA draft.]
Let's get off on a controversial foot first: the Blazers should draft Kevin Durant. The DNA of basketball is height, and general managers, since Mikan, Chamberlin, and Russell defined the earliest eras, have been irresistibly drawn to it. 
Perhaps you recall the Shawn Bradley debacle? But since Magic and Bird redefined basketball, the game has been characterized by speed and grace.
The players who really excite fans are athletes of the rarest caliber--Jordan, Iverson, D-Wade, LeBron, and Kobe (who mainly excites rage in Blazer fans). It's a done deal, of course. Oden's coming to town, and in many ways, it's a perfect fit. He's reserved but humorous, bookish, and humble. We'll love him. But in terms of excitement and glamor, Durant's the guy. He'll be a bigger star and a bigger boon to the Sonics.
But fortunately, it doesn't matter. The Blazers were already on an ascent when they stumbled into the #1 pick in the draft, and this just seals the deal. The day after Portland (literally) won the lottery, the Blazers sold 2,000 season tickets. We already love Ime, Brandon, and LaMarcus, so adding Oden will create a frenzy of support of a kind we haven't seen since Clyde was gliding to the hoop.
Political types often eschew pro sports as beneath their regard, but it's hard to ignore the importance of the Blazers to Portland. Obviously, there's an economic effect that ripples out when the team is doing well. A couple of years ago, ESPN wrote about the effect LeBron James had on the city of Cleveland when he arrived:
James' rise in the NBA meant 40 to 70 more rooms were filled on game nights at the Radisson Hotel across from the arena. That's gross revenue of approximately $300,000, according to Vern Fuller, the president of the hotel's ownership group who played with the Indians from 1964-1970.
"LeBron has pumped new life into this economy," said Geoff Rose, director of operations for The Winking Lizard Tavern, a bar located a few doors down from the hotel. "There's a lot more foot traffic and a lot more energy from this community and the people that now come in from out of town."
Portland will experience a similar effect. Attendance, which was already on the rise, can be expected to jump sharply. Although announced figures are inflated, mid-season attendance averages last year (January) were around 15,400; by the end of the season, it was nearly 19,000. Sports bars, Rose Quarter-area restaurants, sports media--all will enjoy attention the Blazers haven't provided since before Bob Whitsitt left town.
But then there's the elevated spirit a good Blazers team brings, which is the more important benefit. Portlanders (and Oregonians) like to support their team because they're good, hard-working guys. Winning is obviously important, but there's a substantial boost the city gets from just having a team they admire to root for. The two top picks are by all accounts good kids (and at 18 and 19, kids they are) who will work hard and try to fit in with the team. When the season tips off this fall, the "Jail Blazers" will be a memory.
It's probably unwise to make sweeping statements about the tertiary economic benefits a good team brings--the national exposure that leads to travel and conference bookings. But I wonder if there aren't intangible emotional benefits. In the 70s, as the city was busy remaking itself into the most livable in the country (bus mall, Pio Courthouse Square), the Blazers won the title. Then again in the early 90s, the team got hot just as Portland emerged from a period of recession and pervasive crime. Despite remarkable growth, the mood about town has been a bit downcast in recent years. Maybe a Blazers renaissance will coincide, again, with a period of innovation and excitement across the city.
In any case, this is a hopeful day for the city and the team. Viva Blazermania!
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9:31 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
It's not about big men anymore? Care to explain Tim Duncan's four rings?
It's going to be Oden, and it should. He is not Shawn Bradley, more like Bill Russell. He's that good.
Jun 28, '07
I'm not sure why my name came up, Greg Oden is ten thousand times the player I will ever be.
Tell me, why is it that Greg Oden's team was playing in the NCAA championship game last season while Kevin Durant's was sent packing early? Tell me, do you consider Shaq or Duncan - winners of 8 of the last 9 NBA titles - to be 'speedy' and 'graceful'?
And surely you know Portland well enough to understand that flash and excitement aren't our #1 priorities.
Oden will be the pick and the team's success and national interest will be huge boon to Portland. People who don't understand the impact of pro sports teams on cities simply haven't taken the time to do the research.
Jun 28, '07
Perhaps my "favorites" is messed up ... is this BlueOregon? I realize that sports can overcome politics, but at least make a stab at creating some tangential connection, yes?
10:31 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
He's that good.
C'mon, TJ, you have no idea. In college, Oden played against a guy his height once (Roy Hibbert)--in the pros, it will be every night. I don't doubt that he'll have a productive career, but let's not pretend we have insight into the future. Otherwise, number ones would always develop into perennial greats.
Care to explain Tim Duncan's four rings? and Tell me, do you consider Shaq or Duncan - winners of 8 of the last 9 NBA titles - to be 'speedy' and 'graceful'?
How about Patrick Ewing? Big men are as good as their teams. Shaq couldn't win without D-Wade or Kobe, and Duncan doesn't win without Parker and Ginobili. The Spurs, in particular, are the worst argument for the big-man-as-God theory. A consummate team, they have never had to rely on Duncan to win games--and he, by consequence has never had to carry them. Besides, he hardly plays a big man's game.
Shaq is a better argument--he turns any team he plays on into a contender, and has the distinction of having taken all three of his teams to the finals. But his wins in LA were very much as part of a team.
But the kind of domination height gave teams in the 50s and 60s was already evaporating in the 70s. A great center can still bring you wins, but hybrid players like Durant more often define the game. Look at Magic and Brid. As hybrid players, teams couldn't stop them. Jordan redefined the shooting guard. Now LeBron is doing the same.
Centers are valuable, but they don't have great flexibility as a position. Durant, who's only two inches shorter than Oden, is definitely a hybrid. He's going to be a nightmare matchup. He can drive, he can post, he can shoot (including threes), and he can rebound (he out-rebounded Oden by nearly two per game). Who knows if he'll deliver on all this promise, but his ceiling towers above Oden's.
10:41 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
Did you notice the one word missing from those talents? Defense.
Jun 28, '07
"Perhaps my "favorites" is messed up ... is this BlueOregon? I realize that sports can overcome politics, but at least make a stab at creating some tangential connection, yes?"
I agree with Jon. If ya want sports, go to ESPN.
10:59 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
Rose Quarter-area restaurants' business will improve? Are there Rose Quarter-area restaurants?
That area is kind of a weird retail no-man's-land, unfortunately. Even in years where the Blazers aren't that hot, there ought to be businesses clustering around to benefit from the foot traffic, and make the Quarter a destination for more than just the game.
11:06 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
Did you notice the one word missing from those talents? Defense.
Brrrraaapp! No!, but thank you for playing. He had two blocks and two steals a game. He's not the defensive presence Oden is, but he'll mature into it. Keep in mind, he won't turn 19 until September.
11:11 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
C'mon, Jeff. I agree his offensive ceiling is higher than Oden's, but Durant won't be anywhere NEAR the defensive stopping force Oden is, even if he "matures" to 400 years old.
Jun 28, '07
While this is big news for the Blazers and good for the program and city, it will fall short in my mind. As long as they hold on to the past and employ a player like Randolph, I as a woman and feminist cannot support the team. He is just too awful towards women. I know other players might have the same attitudes but he does nothing to hide it.
I live within walking distance of the Rose Quarter. We have a lot of restaurants in the area. The problem isn't them, the problem is that people eat elsewhere and just come for the game. The local places suffer on game night.
I think there are several reasons for this. The traffic patterns around the Rose Garden stink. The city has had plans developed to fix it but they do not have the money. Westside trams and waterfronts continue to be more important.
There is also a fear factor. A lot of Blazer fans with tickets live in the burbs or "safer" Portland neighborhoods. The idea of spending more time in N/NE is too scary.
Some might throw Cucina Cucina out as an example of a restaurant that failed even on site. I would argue that the food was fair at best compared to other restaurants in the area, it was certainly more expensive and because of traffic and parking patterns the only time to go there was on a event day because it was easy. Locals never really went there.
Best of luck to the team. I personally think today's choice is a win/win. They need to still clean house a little though.
11:23 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
When the season tips off this fall, the "Jail Blazers" will be a memory.
Five words: Zach Randolph and Darius Miles.
11:33 a.m.
Jun 28, '07
Here's what I want to know: Which draft choice makes it more likely that can we get a bar called The Winking Lizard Tavern? That's awesome...
Not as awesome as the world-famous turtle races at Brennan's, but ya gotta start somewhere.
Jun 28, '07
Kari,
The Winking Lizard, a staple in Northeast Ohio, and my all time favorite place to get Buffalo Wings.
If we're really being picky, the one in Peninsula on Route 303 right by the Cuyahoga River was the best. I'll pass on the Strip Mall expansions.
My High School friends and I would all hang out there when home on breaks during college and converge on Nickel Wing Night to ridiculously abuse the system.
Kari must have intentionally posted a Winking Lizard reference in order to pierce my anonymity. :)
Jun 28, '07
Jonathan R., the Blazers may have nothing in particular to do with the left of Oregon's political spectrum, but... until Whitsitt FUBAR'd everything, the Blazers were the glue that held this town together (even during the lackluster Lakers-first, Blazers-second seasons of the Eighties, how I despise realignment) and got it through the post-high-school-football hangover.
Oden - or if the Blazers are smart and sharp, Oden and Conley - will go a long way toward bringing that glue-ness back (even sooner). It's a lot easier to get people talking if they have something in common, and for a lot of people, Blazer fan cred used to be that something.
In the NCAA's he was unstoppable - he's a crazy talented athlete, and if you watched those games then it's obvious that he's really taken the center's traditional role to heart.
Despite all of that I worry. His entire playing career as-such has been intertwined with Conley's, and let's not forget that he's only a year out of high school. He's gonna be a work in progress for a while, and even more so if the Blazers can't get Conley, too. The good news - if his public comments are a useful yardstick - is that he's committed himself to success as an NBA player.
...And for those of you who might be wondering, Randolph's got three years left on a $14M/yr contract. Just sayin'.
Jun 28, '07
Yeah, I remember Shawn Bradley, but
I'm old enough to remember a scarier precedent: the big man, Sam Bowie, rather than the versatile forward, Michael Jordan. However, in this case, I think that Greg Oden is no Sam Bowie and Kevin Durant is no Michael Jordan.
Jun 28, '07
Yeah, I remember Shawn Bradley, but
I'm old enough to remember a scarier precedent: the big man, Sam Bowie, rather than the versatile forward, Michael Jordan. However, in this case, I think that Greg Oden is no Sam Bowie and Kevin Durant is no Michael Jordan.
3:20 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
Snort. My problem with the occasional sports thread on BlueOregon is the kneejerk reaction of the whiners who are politically opposed to sports while claiming they aren't a political topic. Don't like a topic? Skip that thread.
Further random thoughts:
Michael Jordan was not any kind of forward.
While Sam didn't work out so well the Blazers did OK with a certain other talented but injury-prone center.
There are no guarantees, particularly when you are drafting 19-year-old kids, but these two both certainly look promising.
Daruis and Zach no longer define the character of this team and neither is likely to play much into the future of the team.
There is no such position on a basketball team as "hybrid". There are mediocre players, good players and great players. If you have a great one you can build a team around him no matter what position he plays but if he doesn't have a good team around him he won't get it done by himself. It's not just centers who need teammates. Nike's marketing notwithstanding, Jordan didn't do it alone either. How's that working for Kobe?
I agree that it's the "no-man's-land" character of the Rose Quarter that's the problem. You can't fix that with one or two restaurants.
Jun 28, '07
i've never really followed volleyball.
4:12 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I get the best of both worlds. I am still a Blazer fan but also back in the land of the Super Sonics.(I say back because I grew up watching Sikma and the Johnsons.)
My favoriate pick changes depending on the day of the week and now, just minutes before the draft I have to agree with Jeff (OH THE SHAME!).
Oden has one leg shorter than the other and a problem with a bulging disc in his back. That is not really a chance I would want to be taking on a young man in a physical sport. The back will only get worse as he gets older. (ok now flame me)
Don't get me wrong... from what I have read I really love the kid. Both kids actually. But someone who is injured like that when they are young just raises flags. The shorter leg will put more pressure on the back as well.
Durant on the other hand... That kid will sell tickets and whether the team (Sonics or Blazers) is winning or losing you know if you go to the game Durant will give you some kind of show. He is the type that will from time to time have one of those games where you just shake your head and say "WOW... did we just witness that?"
So... Durant should be the pick.
However if he is not, here's to hoping that Oden proves me all kinds of wrong about his health. Because the league (and Portland) needs a young man like him around for a long time.
Yip Yip
4:41 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
Coyote, there's no shame in agreeing about the Blazers--hoops knows no politics.
4:41 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FINALS HERE WE COME!
6:48 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
Three words down, two to go.
10:58 p.m.
Jun 28, '07
Got Oden and tossed the second to last Jail Blazer out of town (yeah, they're getting another cancer in return, but if Allen opens the wallet and buys him out as reported he'll hopefully never don a Blazer uni). Also got some promising rookies (I really like the looks of this pure shooter from Syracuse, Nichols). At this point, I'd give Darius Miles away for a six-pack of good beer (and even that might be negotiable). This team is still a couple years away, but it's already feeling more fun to be a Blazers fan...
Jun 29, '07
I would personally argue that the Randolph trade is even bigger for the organization then the Oden draft. Why? This shows a real change in the front office. There is now a management team in place that seems to care about this city and the impact the team has on it. That shift is huge for me.
Jun 29, '07
Sarah C: There is also a fear factor. A lot of Blazer fans with tickets live in the burbs or "safer" Portland neighborhoods. The idea of spending more time in N/NE is too scary.
Thanks to Sarah for revealing the institutionalized racism that "fans with tickets in the burbs or 'safer' Portland neighborhoods" feel. Perhaps you should go to Portland online and look at the crime statistics. You've got a better chance of being raped in the Pearl District than you do in North Portland, not to mention getting your car broken into. The real problem is that pro basketball is mostly black and people like you are prejudiced. Not in an outwardly "they shouldn't have rights" way, but just in your preconceived notions about the neighborhood and how you think an NBA star should behave.
As long as they hold on to the past and employ a player like Randolph, I as a woman and feminist cannot support the team. He is just too awful towards women.
What exactly has Randolf done to earn this reputation? He's hired strippers and been accused of unwanted advances, but that allegation never got the slightest bit of traction. Zach is innocent until proven guilty, right? In a town and time where Blazer bashing is good sport for the press, if there had been substance to that allegation, don't you think it would have been carried? Don't you think that there are women out there who might try to extort money from people in his position? Give him a break. And you may not like the fact that erotic dancing is legal in Oregon, but it is and if somebody wants to go to a strip club, it's their own right. AND we are talking about a guy here who is known to be generous to a fault and is incredibly close and loyal to his Mom. I wish people like you in your "safe neighborhoods" would establish a level of proof with which to judge others as you would want done for you.
People should come to the Rose Quarter and watch the Blazers this season and when you're up here, check out some of the restaurants (if you can break away from your pan-American chain eateries and support local business) and shops in North Portland (Alberta, Mississippi, Killingsworth). People up here are pretty nice to each other regardless of color and it's pretty safe, too.
9:59 a.m.
Jun 29, '07
Zach was hit by a DUI, and it's not the going to a strip club per se--it's doing it while on BEREAVEMENT LEAVE.
10:07 a.m.
Jun 29, '07
Canzano on Z-Bo's departing baggage...
Jun 29, '07
Ted:
As someone who lives within a mile of the Rose Garden I am very famlilar with the neighborhood. I know the crime and other issues (I am guessing far better than you based on your post). For example did you know that the people in our neighborhood pay more for car insurance because of the number of break ins at the Rose Quarter and the hospital. Do you know a almost 90 year old woman who constantly has her driveway blocked by people attending Rose Quarter events? Do businesses in the areas you wrote about know you and your family by name? Do they support your kid's school because it is your kid's school? Your assumptions about me show your true colors. It also shows that you did not read my post. Instead since I don't care for Randolph you decided you could give me a bunch of labels.
I will retype what I already posted. As a woman and a feminist, I cannot support someone with the attitudes towards women that Randolph holds. I do not hold anyone who goes to strip clubs on a regular basis in high regard - I don't care if it is legal. I know plenty of men (of different races, class, etc. backgrounds) that share my view. Women too. His mother and what he thinks of her has nothing to do with it. His attitude towards women walking down the street does. He is actually quoted as saying he likes to "sexually share women". He is not a good role model for my kids.
If you want to talk about a truly generous to a fault player (who is also a great guy) and one that should have been kept by the Blazers then let's talk about Brian Grant. If you talk to people at the Blazer's Girls' and Boys' club they will tell you the real story. He was a player that showed up on a regular basis and showed the kids some real respect. I am hoping that Brandon Roy and the others will live up to the reputation of a good man like Grant and leave the history of the people like Randolph in the past where it belongs.
Sarah
11:50 a.m.
Jun 29, '07
Well, Ted, that was a fun little rant (if maybe a bit guilty of the ignorance you claim to be so aghast at). You and Sarah actually both made some interesting points while largely talking past each other. What'd be really funny is if you guys are neighbors. Anyway...
I'll pick a fight with both of you by asking what these great Rose Quarter restaurants are. Sarah says "We have a lot of restaurants in the area, and Ted suggests we "break away from your pan-American chain eateries and support local business," (look you agreed!). Um, okay, where? I go out to eat pretty regularly and can't think of anything other than Red Robin (a "pan-American chain eatery" if ever there was one) and some fast food joints within walking distance of the Rose Garden. Seriously, if there's anything I'm missing please let me know (no, while I love a nice long stroll, anything as far away as Russell St or 17th doesn't count as walking distance for most folks).
For that matter, I can't think of anywhere within walking distance of the Rose Quarter I would want to go for any reason except for Anzen. I'm not some suburban honky who's scared of people with dark skin, but I still can't think of any reason to come to the Rose Quarter other than for the game (and raw fish). So, there's one problem...
As for Randolph, the guy is an ass both on and off the court. On the court, he's a me-first "Black Hole" offense (the ball goes in and it never comes out) who averages more turnovers than assists and doesn't know what to do when a double-team comes except go one-on-two. He's lazy running the court and just stands around when anyone else has the ball. Oh, and half the people on this thread could probably play better defense and would DEFINITELY at least try harder for $15 million a year. Off the court, he's worse. Unlike Sarah, I have no problem with strip clubs (maybe because I have a few friends who worked their way through college that way), but Randolph's had plenty of other issues too numerous to summarize here.
Overall, I love getting rid of him. I only wish Pritchard coulda thrown Miles in too..
Jun 29, '07
Sarah, Basketball players are not role models. Charles Barkley said as much and meant it. If you've raised your kids to have a basketball player as a role model maybe you should be doing something different. Basketball players get played to play hoops. Zach did that well and he'll do that will in NY. He was expendable and wasn't traded because of his tendency towards strip clubs. In a sense the Blazers fixed really little.
It sort of amuses me the fascination that this team had with Brian Grant. Remember that anti-pot commercial that used to be on that had the smoke from the fog machines on in the background? That used to crack me up considering the amount of pot Brian Grant smoked. How do I know that? You'll never believe me anyway so I'm not even going to try and explain it.
I'm just making the point. NBA players are not role models and nobody should ever assume an NBA player is someone for their kid to look up to. Michael Jordan cheated on his wife constantly and had a gambling problem, Barkley liked to drink and get in fights, Bassy Telfair and his gun collection have a penchant for speeding, Wilt Chamberlain slept with 20,000 woman, Magic didn't get HIV from sharing needles, Vin Baker showed up at practice drunk, Shawn Kemp has like 18 kids from different women, Ricky Davis...man I'd like to hang out with Ricky Davis for a night. I don't know how he can do that to himself and then come back the next day for an afternoon game and put up 25 points. No matter how much you'd like NBA players to be very nice they're a bunch of kids with millions of dollars and women that THROW themselves at them.
12:31 p.m.
Jun 29, '07
"If you've raised your kids to have a basketball player as a role model maybe you should be doing something different."
What if the kid loves basketball as his favorite activity? Who should his or her role model be...Shelby Foote?
It's not quite that simple.
4:11 p.m.
Jun 29, '07
There's a difference between not being a role model and being an abject criminal.
An employee reflects on his or her company. If you said a company was the "next Enron" in 1999, that meant something totally different than it does today, and that's pretty much entirely due to revelations about the behavior of its employees/managers. Similarly, the Blazers brand changed a great deal from 1991 to 1999. That too was largely due to the behavior of its employees (the players).
This is a business. I expect a company that I'm going to support to maintain a certain degree of professionalism amongst its employees. I don't expect every Blazer to be Steve Smith or Brian Grant (note: to those who may not know, most of your favorite players smoke pot; deal with it), but I can ask that they not be Rasheed Wallace or Isaiah Rider...
4:20 p.m.
Jun 29, '07
I agree with you Nate--I was responding to the idea that if your kid has a hoops player as a role model it's apparently because you're a bad parent. I totally support giving Z-Bo the Heave-Ho.
5:25 p.m.
Jun 29, '07
TJ, and I agree with you (I was mostly responding to Garrett, Sarah, and Ted). However, there are basketball players who could be considered role models (even a fair number if you don't mind that your role model smokes pot). Kids who have parents that instilled decent social values will naturally gravitate towards those players. I think sports actually can provide a lot of teachable moments when one compares why Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Steve Nash are admirable and jackasses like Kobe Bryant, Ricky Davis, and Zach Randolph are, well, jackasses.
Seems like an easy conversation to have while sitting around, watching some hoops, and sharing a beer with your 8-year old...
Jun 30, '07
Oh, by the way; how's "All Universe Kobe" doing without Shaq? Good big men don't grow on trees. They made the right choice. Both players are going to be successful but Oden is player to build a championship team around.
11:41 a.m.
Jun 30, '07
Thanks to Sarah for revealing the institutionalized racism that "fans with tickets in the burbs or 'safer' Portland neighborhoods" feel. Perhaps you should go to Portland online and look at the crime statistics. You've got a better chance of being raped in the Pearl District than you do in North Portland, not to mention getting your car broken into.
Not to mention that while violent crime and robberies are at a 40 year low in Portland, these crimes are rising fast out in the 'burbs. So you're more likely to be victimized in those 'burbs.
We've been to three Blazer games and I once had a meeting at Memorial Coliseum. I ate at a restaurant there while going to the meeting, we ate from the concessions once, at a restaurant on the way into Portland once, and the third time we ate at the buffet upstairs that comes with certain ticket packages.
We didn't eat at the restaurants there before the game because it wasn't convenient - we have a toddler, and we often ate with her before dropping her off at the sitter's. I'd imagine we're not the only ones who do that - eat on the way into town before dropping the kiddo(s) at the sitter's.
<h2>We're hoping to be able to afford tickets this year (previously they were free - from hubby's work or given to us by the Blazers organization) so we can take Abby. She's quite into watching basketball and baseball on tv. I want to take her to a Portland Beavers game as well.</h2>